BRIDGEPORT — A plan to build a $550 million natural gas-fired power plant in the city cleared a local hurdle this week when it was approved by zoning officials.

PSEG Power Connecticut, which operates the coal-fired power plant known for its signature red-and-white smokestack, received permission from the Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday night to construct a roughly 48,000-square-foot main turbine building and several other structures at the end of Atlantic Street.

The 485-megawatt facility has also received approvals by the Connecticut Siting Council and the Federal Aviation Administration for the stack. But PSEG is still awaiting a decision on an air permit from environmental protection officials, which is expected in the first quarter of 2017.

Construction would begin immediately if the air permit is approved. The company anticipates the plant would be supplying energy to the region by June 2019. Earlier this year, PSEG and the Bridgeport City Council finalized an agreement to replace the coal operation with the gas-fired plant by mid-2021.

“This week’s approval of the coastal site plan is a significant milestone for the project as we prepare to begin construction,” Michael Stagliola, PSEG project director, said in a statement. “We appreciate the timely review by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.”